BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Animal Shelter is being sued by a Troy man who said he was attacked by a dog he was thinking about adopting.

Mark Whalen's lawsuit was filed in state Supreme Court in Saratoga County.

According to the lawsuit, Whalen was at the shelter in May and was brought to a mixed-breed dog that was available for adoption. Whalen said he was given a dog treat by a volunteer at the shelter and encouraged to feed it to the dog when the dog attacked, "viciously biting [Whalen] numerous times on the right arm."

The suit states Whalen required surgery, stitches and antibiotics after the attack. He is seeking an undetermined amount of money from the county.

"The county failed to properly train volunteers before allowing them to interact with the public," the suit states.

The director of the animal shelter said the incident in May was an unusual and unfortunate event.

"It's the first time I can remember when we had someone get hurt," Butler said. "Occasionally someone will get nipped, but nothing like this."

Butler said he could not speak further about the matter because it is in the courts.